“What happened between you two, really?”
“Nothing happened. She just left.”
I looked at him. “That’s it?”
“Why are you so interested anyway?”
“I’m not. I mean, I am, but only because it seems like it’s upsetting you, and if your sister is going to be working at SHDC, then maybe some of these issues should be resolved. I don’t like workplace drama; I think it can become really toxic really quick.”
“I get what you’re saying, but I’m good on the whole ‘solve my family issues’ front. Besides, you don’t have to worry about me and her working together. I have it all figured out, a sure-fire way to never have to directly interact with her.” He grinned. “You want to hear what I came up with? I’ve got a map and everything, outlining all the best ways to get to the kitchen and the bathrooms without passing by her office.”
“How old are you?” I asked. “Five?”
“Oh, age is but a number. I don’t care if it sounds childish, I am doing my best to keep the peace. And I won’t have to do it for very long anyway, because there’s no way Kat is going to stick around the company for that long.”
“Why do you say that?” I hoped that my disappointment wasn’t visible on my face or audible in my tone of voice.
“She only agreed to come back to help my dad,” Cal said. “And once that’s done, she’s going to leave again. She doesn’t want to be here, no matter what she says. I’m sure she is desperate to get back to her glamorous London life, and all her rich London friends.”
“I’m confused,” I said. “Your dadasked herto come? I thought she asked him for a job.”
Cal waved his hand in the air, still pretty tipsy but at least coherent and present. “I don’t know the details. This is all stuff I heard through the grapevine at work, so who knows what’s true. But I do know Kat, and once she gets bored, she’s gone.”
“Huh. She has changed a lot, hasn’t she? Or are we not talking about the same girl who used to sit patiently in your dad’s old office, reading books and organizing his desk drawers while he worked late?”
“The one and the same,” said Calvin. “And the same girl who used to have a major crush on you.”
“Shewhat?”
“Ha!” His face lit up with amusement. “You didn’t know? How could you possibly not know? Even I picked up on it, and I was what, like 12? It was really very obvious.”
“In my defense, I didn’t spend that much time with her. Also, she was a kid, so I wouldn’t have been looking out for signs of a crush.”
“Yeah, well, the good news is she’s clearly gotten over that crush, otherwise there’s no way she would have agreed to come work for you. She’s too proud for that kind of thing.”
I wanted to ask him to explain further, but when I looked over at him, I saw that his eyes were glossy, and his brow furrowed. He looked like he might be sick, so I decided it was probably best that we get on the road.
“Sit back,” I said. “And put your belt on.”
He did as I asked, and I pulled out of the parking lot. As we turned onto the main drag, he requested I put some music on, so I turned the volume up on the radio and let the car fill with the sounds of soft jazz. It probably wasn’t Calvin’s first choice, but it was my car, and I happened to like jazz. I didn’t use to, not until Erin got me into it. She dragged me to a jazz bar downtown any chance she got, and eventually, I learned to enjoy the unplanned riffs and ever-changing beats. Or perhaps I just enjoyed the company of my beautiful wife so much that I had transferred some of my love for her onto the music.
Either way, this type of music always helped calm me down, which was exactly what I needed after my night with Kat.
* * *
I didn’t feel great about letting Calvin go into his apartment building and navigate his way to his unit alone, but he was adamant that he could handle himself when I dropped him off on the curb. “Seriously,” he said, getting out of the car. “I’m not a child.”
“I know, but—”
“Jonah. I’m a grown man, I’m barely drunk anymore, so really, it’s all okay. Go home to your actual kid and check on her.”
“She’s at a sleepover,” I said.
“Even better then! Go home and have a relaxing night with just yourself. You’ve earned it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some leftover pizza that is calling my name.” He shut the car door dramatically behind him and walked into his building. I watched the lobby security officer tip his hat to Calvin, and then he disappeared into the elevator. and I left.
At home, I did something I never do and actually took Calvin’s advice. I gave myself permission to take an extra-long shower, happy that I wouldn’t have to hear a lecture from Vic afterwards about how long showers were a waste of water. Then, I turned the TV on and sprawled out on the couch.
During a commercial break of whatever sitcom I had settled on for the time being, I checked my phone, careful to avoid my work email. It was the weekend, after all. I ended up on Facebook, and before I knew it, I was on Kat’s page. I hadn’t even realized we were friends on here, but then again there were a lot of people I was friends with that I wasn't even sure I’d ever met in person. I clicked through some of her old pictures and noticed early on that she wasn’t the type to post all that much. She had a picture of her wearing a cap and gown, surrounded by only friends and no family that I recognized. Before that, she had posted a photo of a rainy London day, a gloved hand in the frame holding up a cup of coffee.